Letters from the Beloved – Decepticons
My three-year-old grandsons are into Transformers these days. So, I occasionally end up watching a cartoon with them as we are settling down before nap time. The bad guys – a “ruthless faction of robots who seek to conquer the universe and destroy the Autobots (good guys) – are called “Decepticons”.
It is interesting to note that John, the beloved, was worried about “decepticons” of his time – that is deceivers and con men.
1 John 2:26 [NKJV] These things I have written to you concerning those who [try to] deceive you.
I like the New Living Translation for 1 John 2:26-27, because it is so frank in the more modern language.
1 John 2:26-27 [NLT] 26 I am writing these things to warn you about those who want to lead you astray. 27 But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don't need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true--it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.
And here is the thing, I hear from church leaders worrying about the world’s view coming into the church. I actually had a minister’s wife tell me she worried about if someone from the LGBTQ community might come to church how they would try to influence, especially the young people, to “accept their lifestyle”. That is not going to happen. First of all, people from the LGBTQ know that they are largely unwelcome in the Christian community and that they would not be well received in the first place. That is a subject for another time.
However, I bring this up because what I HAVE seen happen is someone bringing in a false doctrine that sounds righteous. Like something about how to “keep the Sabbath better” – that is better than the Bible even indicates. Another one I have seen is someone trying to tell the church how to say the name of God the “right way”. It is these things – these pseudo spiritual, but really human-engineered, discussion points – that I have personally seen split up churches. I have never yet seen an incident where a specific type of sinner coming into a congregation has split the church or done significant damage.
Yes, that is a bit of a tongue-in-cheek statement. Why? Because we are all sinners. So, whether a person comes into a congregation as an adulterer or as a one who bears false witness through gossip, or one who steals, whether by taking supplies from work or by not paying tithe to God, the fact remains that we all come to church as sinners. All of us. Every week. So, it is particularly self-righteous to point out that one person’s sin is a threat and your own is not.
1 John 2:26 [NKJV] These things I have written to you concerning those who [try to] deceive you.
Recently, I heard a young, baptized member of our congregation say that she no longer serves the church in the choir because she “has not yet forgiven herself for having sex before marriage”. That is so wrong on so many levels but is not the focus of today’s blog. So, I won’t get further into why it is false. The real issue I want to focus on is that when someone who has this broken, Satan-inspired idea about sin and forgiveness tries to convince others to feel the same false, and Jesus’ sacrifice denying, sense of unworthiness it can do significant damage to a congregation. A church can lose members over this kind of dart to the heart of love, hope, and peace.
I like the way that the New Living Translation puts 2 Timothy 2:23 as well. It says, Again I say, don't get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. So, what do we do when someone tries to bring up an argument or personal belief that is false, foolish or shows that they are ignorant of the scripture?
My husband Wes has counseled even the teens in our church to learn to say, “Show me that in the scriptures” when a church member brings some “you should” or “we should” to them. If the person is open to it, this phrase can help them (or help you help them) to get a better understanding of what the Bible actually says about the subject.
However, there is another scripture that directly addresses this issue. Proverbs 26:4-5 [NKJV] 4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly, Lest you also be like him. 5 Answer a fool according to his folly, Lest he be wise in his own eyes.
It is up to us, more seasoned believers, to use wisdom to decide which of those two Proverbs is the best response given the person, their current state of willingness to learn, the particular statement they made and the general health or maturity of the congregation where the silly or ignorant belief is being brought up.
It is important to note that not everyone who steps into deception is willfully ignorant or deliberately trying to deceive the church members. We should not assume that their motive is to do damage. Any one of us can be tricked by the arguments of others or by Satan’s influence on us, especially as he uses personal trauma or weakness to draw us in. So, a member should be treated with patience and kindness, just like God treats us, unless or until we find that they have a the motive of a “Decepticon” – that is they are with deliberate intent trying to do harm and present false information.
As John points out, our guide to getting this right and not being drawn into foolish arguments, our guide to knowing what is God-inspired and true, is the leading of the Holy Spirit. In order for the Spirit to be an effective tool for us, we must remain close to God and His Word. We need to have our noses in the scriptures. We need to pray for the wisdom from above [See James 3:17] and stay humble ourselves.
We need to always remember this saying, “Ships do not sink because of the water around them, ships sink because of the water that gets into them”. And remember that it is the Holy Spirit in us that helps us to keep the water of foolish arguments out of our own hearts and minds and, therefore, out of our congregations.
I welcome your comments and questions. You can write me in the comments section or at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org